Oct 4, 2021
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Marina Perry Podcast. This week, Karen Searle joins Marina to discuss society's relationship with childbirth. Karen is a certified hypnobirthing educator and has 22 years of experience in midwifery, and her passion in life is helping women positively experience childbirth.
Karen explains that a midwife is a carer with the skills and knowledge to care for women in pregnancy, labor, and post-labor to look after the physical and mental health of the mother while helping them navigate through the process. A doula is there solely to be with the woman, but they don't have any legal or formal medical training. Hypnobirthing helps women get into a positive mindset to go into birth with and understand she is safe and can do this. Evidence suggests women who hypnobirth and properly prepare for labor have a much more positive experience, require fewer interventions, and have a decreased need for pain relief.
If you were going to go run a marathon, you'd train for that. Yet, most labors are as physically intense, if not longer-lasting, than most marathons, and most women don't prepare physically, let alone mentally and spiritually. So women need to understand what's happening to their bodies, that our pelvises are designed to stretch, and talk about the mindset behind labor and delivery. The aim is to provide a toolkit for pregnant women to use as often as they need to, including affirmations, partner support, and strategies for managing birth preferences.
Hypnobirth also gives the partner, whether a spouse, significant other, friend, or family member, the opportunity to have a greater part of the birth experience. It's often easy to feel helpless and unsure of what to do during labor and delivery, and hypnobirth allows them to have purpose and control throughout the process. We need to remember our bodies were made to do this, and even in cases like Marina's, where medical intervention was necessary, bringing tools and strategies into your birthing experience will do nothing but help.
Karen recommends sitting with yourself and listening to what you want. It's your birth journey and no one else's, so get as much information as you can from reputable sources. Decide what you want your experience to be like, and then find the right people to support you.
What You Will Learn:
A midwife is a carer with the skills and knowledge to care for women in pregnancy, labor, and post-labor to look after the physical and mental health of the mother while helping them navigate through the process. A doula is someone who is there solely to be with the woman, but they don’t have any legal or formal medical training. Hypnobirthing helps women get into a positive mindset to go into birth with and to understand she is safe and she can do this. Evidence suggests women who hypnobirth and properly prepare for labor have a much more positive experience, require fewer interventions, and a decreased need for pain relief.
If you were going to go run a marathon, you’d train for that. Yet, most labors are as physically intense, if not longer lasting, than most marathons, and most women don’t prepare physically, let alone mentally and spiritually. Women need to understand what’s happening to their bodies, that our pelvises are designed to stretch, and talk about the mindset behind labor and delivery. The aim is to provide a toolkit for pregnant women to use as often as they need to, including affirmations, partner support, and strategies for managing birth preferences.